Homemade Rock Water Fountain

Rock water fountains can add a soothing ambiance to your outdoor living space. You can make your own rock water fountain easily with materials that may already be on your property. Homemade rock water fountains have a rustic charm that fits with most any landscape design.

Materials

Many of the materials you’ll need to construct a homemade rock water fountain are available from your local home improvement store. A shovel, a level, a roll of thick plastic pond liner, scissors, a submersible fountain pump and a fountain head are the only items you will need in addition to the rocks and adhesive. If the home store has a limited supply of fountains, many online retailers carry a nice selection. Consider purchasing a solar fountain pump to make an ecofriendly fountain.

Look for medium to large size rocks on your property, or find them at a landscape supply center. The amount of rocks you need will vary based on your fountain design. For example, to make a simple rectangular shaped rock fountain, you’ll need 15 to 20 medium to large rocks to make a base, and up to 50 or more medium and small rocks to build up the sides. Waterproof construction adhesive works to attach the rocks together. Depending on the overall height of your water fountain, you may need bricks to make a platform inside the rock structure to elevate the pump.

Preparation

Prepare the area where you plan to make your fountain by excavating the ground down to the top layer of soil. You should remove any grass, stones, roots and debris so that the location has a smooth and level base. The pond liner will work as a basin for your water fountain; it will line the inside of the rock structure and run along the ground. If the ground is not level, your fountain will be skewed.

Assembly

Begin making your fountain with the largest rocks on the base of your structure. Continue building the sides of your fountain by gluing the rocks together with waterproof construction adhesive. Do not glue the top layer of rocks until you add the pond liner. Cut a large enough section of plastic pond liner to line the inside of your rock structure. You can glue the edges of the liner to the top row of rocks on the structure, and then add your last row of rocks to hide the liner.

The fountain pump will sit inside the rock structure. The solar or electrical cord can run over the back side of the rock structure. If the fountain head does not extend to the top of your rock fountain, make a brick platform inside the fountain to elevate the pump.

Make sure that you fill the fountain with water before you run the pump. You should always check the fountain’s water level before running it; submersible pumps need to be covered with water to work properly.